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| PRINCE of PERSIA |
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| by Jordan Mechner |
| The Creator of Karateka |
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| Kracked by: The Ramsacker |
| Documentation by: The Rampager/RamRods |
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| A Byte Bastards Release |
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Introduction
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IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII T IS A TIME OF DARKNESS. WHILE THE SULTAN IS OFF FIGHTING A
III
III foreign war, his Grand Vizier Jaffar has seized the reins
III
III of power. Throughout the land, the people groan under the
III
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII yoke of tyranny, and dream of better days.
You are the only obstacle between Jaffar and the throne. An adventurer from
a foreign land, innocent of palace intrigues, you have won the heart of the
Sultan's lovely young daughter. And in so doing, you have unwittingly
made a powerful enemy.
On Jaffar's orders, you are arrested, stripped of your sword and possessions,
and thrown into the Sultan's dungeons. As for the Princess, Jaffar gives her a
choice, and an hour to decide: Marry him--or die.
Locked in her room high in the palace tower, the Princess rests all her hopes
on you. For when the last sands drain from the hourglass, her choice can
bring only a throne for the Grand Vizier...a new reign of terror for his
long-suffering subjects...and death for the brave youth who might have
been...Prince of Persia.
----------------
What you'll Need
----------------
To play PRINCE of PERSIA, you will need an Apple IIe, IIc, or IIGS with two
5.25" disk drives. If you are using an Apple IIe, it must be equipped with an
extended 80-column card. A joystick and color monitor are recommended, but not
required.
----------------
Joystick Control
----------------
If you use a joystick, it should be the self-centering kind. The joystick
buttons can be used interchangeably.
When you boot the disk, the program automatically calibrates itself to match
your particular joystick. During play, if your joystick starts to behave
strangely, you can recalibrate it by pressing CONTROL-J. If this doesn't fix
the problem, try adjusting the joystick's trim controls, and pressing control-J
again.
Whenever you press Control-J, make sure the joystick is in its center
(released) position.
------------------------------
Running, Jumping, and Climbing
------------------------------
To run: Push the joystick in the direction you want to go (left or right).
------ Release the joystick to stop.
To take careful steps: Hold down a joystick button and push the joystick in
--------------------- the direction you want to go. You can use careful
steps to move right up to the edge of a pit or a
suspicious-looking floor section.
To jump up: Push the joystick straight up.
----------
To jump forward: When you are standing still, push the joystick up diagonally
--------------- in the direction you want to jump.
You can jump farther with a running start. For a running jump over a chasm,
back up at least two full strides from the edge. Push the joystick forward to
start running, then up to jump. Don't be afraid of pushing the joystick up too
early; your character will wait until the last possible moment to jump.
To climb up onto a ledge: Stand facing the ledge and push the joystick
------------------------ straight up. If necessary, use careful steps to
position yourself up onto the ledge, push the
joystick up.
To hang from a ledge: Press a joystick button and hold it down. To let
-------------------- yourself drop, release the button. To pull yourself
up onto the ledge, push the joystick up.
Any time you jump or fall within reach of a ledge, you can grab onto it by
pressing a button. Remember--when you release the button, you let go of the
ledge.
To climb down from a ledge: Step up to the edge, turn around, then push the
-------------------------- joystick down. To hang from the ledge, press a
joystick button and hold it down.
To duck: Push the joystick straight down. Release it to stand up.
-------
To pick something up: Stand in front of it and press the button.
--------------------
--------
Fighting
--------
When you come face to face with an armned opponent, release the joystick. You
will automatically draw your sword--if you have one--and go en garde. In this
stance, the controls are somewhat different.
To strike: Press a joystick button.
---------
To advance: Push the joystick in the direction you're facing (towards your
---------- opponent).
To retreat: Push the joystick away from your opponent.
----------
To block your opponent's strike: Push the joystick up just as your opponent is
------------------------------- striking. It may take some practice to get
the timing right. Watch your opponent
carefully, and wait for him to strike.
To stop fighting: Push the joystick down. Once you have put away your sword,
---------------- you are free to run, jump and climb as usual. Be careful,
though--when you are off guard, a single sword blow can kill
you. To draw your sword again, press a joystick button.
----------------
Keyboard Control
----------------
In keyboard mode, use the following keys in place of the joystick:
__________________
| Movement | Key |
|------------+-----|
| Left | J |
| Right | L |
| Up | I |
| Down | K |
| Jump Left | U |
| Jump Right | O |
|____________|_____|
Action button: Open-Apple or Closed-Apple
-----
Hints
-----
* To get the maximum distance from a standing jump across a
chasm, use careful steps to move right up to the edge of the pit
before you jump.
* If you jump a chasm but fall short, you may still be able to grab
on to the opposite ledge by pushing a button. Remember, when
you let go of the button, you let go of the ledge.
* Every time you block an opponent's sword strike, the force of
the blow pushes you back slightly. If you adopt a defensive
strategy, you will find yourself steadily losing ground. Try
following up a successful block with a strike.
* Test for loose floor sections by jumping up and down.
* You can knock out a loose floor section by standing directly
beneath it and jumping up. Try not to be there when it lands.
* There are two kinds of pressure-activated floor plates. One kind
raises gates, the other lowers them. With experience, you can
learn to distinguish them from ordinary floor sections and from
each other.
* Learn to recognize different kinds of potions by sight.
* You can cross a bed of spikes safely by taking careful steps.
* A two-story drop will hurt you. A three-story drop will kill you.
* You never know what you'll find in a dungeon. Don't be afraid
to explore, and to experiment. After all, you've got nothing to
lose except your life, the Princess, and the entire Kingdom.
--------------
Life and Death
--------------
The row of red bullets in the lower left corner of the screen indicates your
current strength. Every time you get hurt, you lose one unit of strength.
When the last of your strength disappears, you die.
You start the game with three units of strength. (Later on, you may be able to
increase your strength beyond this limit.)
Things that cost you one unit of strenght include a blow by a guard's sword,
two-story falls, and having a section of the floor collapse on your head.
Other, more serious accidents can kill you outright.
An opponent's strength is indicated by a row of blue bullets in the lower
right corner of the screen. To kill an opponent, you need to take away all his
strength units.
-----------
Adventuring
-----------
Although this is your time inside the Sultan's palace, you do have some
general information that may help you:
* The Princess is imprisoned in the high tower of the palace. To
reach her, you must find your way out of the dungeons, through
the palace's main building, and up to the top to the tower.
* Generally speaking, the guards on the dungeon duty tend to be the
dregs of the Sultan's corps. The more capable ones are usually
assigned to the palace's main building. The very best of
them--the deadliest swordsmen in the Sultan's employ--are
kept for the elite honor guard in the tower, where they are
responsible for the personal safety of the Princess and of the
Grand Vizier.
* Since your arrival in the city, you have heard some strange
rumors. It is whispered that the Grand Vizier Jaffar is a
magician, a master of the black arts of enchantment; that his
powers are more than mortal. Knowing, as you do, that much
of what passes for magic is mere trickery and superstition, you
are reluctant to take these stories too seriously. Nevertheless,
they don't do much for your peace of mind.
----------------------
Death and Continuation
----------------------
When you die, the message "PRESS BUTTON TO CONTINUE" will appear on the
screen. Press a joystick button to return to the beginning of the current
level.
If you don't press a button, the message will remain on the screen for about
20 seconds, then start to flash in warning, accompanied by a chime. After ten
chimes, the game will end and you will be returned to the title sequence.
If you get yourself into a situation where you can find no way out, press
CONTROL-A to restart the level.
You can continue the game as many times as you want without penalty.
Remember, though, the sands in the hourglass are draining away....
To see how much time is left, press the SPACE BAR.
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Disk Access
-----------
At the end of Level 2, the message "TURN THE DISK OVER" will appear. When you
see this message, take the PRINCE of PERSIA disk out of the drive and put it
back in with the back side facing up. Close the drive door, and press a
joystick button or any key to continue the game.
You will not need to turn the disk over until you end the game and
return to the title sequence.
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Saving Your Game
----------------
Once you have reached Level 3, you will have the option of saving your
game to disk and continuing it later. To save your current game, press
CONTROL-G at any time during play. The program will briefly access the
drive, then continue with the game.
The next time you boot the PRINCE of PERSIA disk, instead of pressing a
joystick button or any key to start a new game, press CONTROL-L. The game
will resume from the beginning of the level you were on when you last
saved it.
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Special Keys
------------
Esc.....................Freeze frame. Press again for single frame advance.
Press any other key to resume play.
Control-J...............Selects joystick control. Also recalibrates the program
to match your joystick. Make sure that when you press
this key, the joystick is in its center (release)
position.
Control-K...............Selects keyboard control.
Control-R...............Ends the game and returns you to the title sequence.
Control-A...............Restarts play from the beginning of the current level.
Control-S...............Turns off all sound. Press again to turn the sound
back on.
Control-N...............Turns off the music. Press again to turn the music
back on.
Control-G...............Saves the current game to disk.
Control-L...............Resumes the last saved game. (Press during the title
sequence.)
Control-X...............Flips the verticle axis of your joystick.
Control-Y...............Flips the horizontal axis of your joystick.
Space Bar...............Press to see how much time is left.
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About the Author
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Jordan Mechner, 25, is the author of the award-winning computer game Karateka.
Hailed by Games magazine as "a software landmark," Karateka broke new ground in
the use of cinematic techniques to tell a story within a computer game, and has
sold over 400,000 copies worldwide.
To achieve the extraordinary realism of the animation in PRINCE of PERSIA,
Jordan studied hours of live-action footage, including swordfighting sequences
from classic Hollywood swashbuckling films of the Thirties. Two years in the
making, PRINCE of PERSIA is the culmination of a lifelong fascination with
animation, and ten years of hacking on the Apple II.
A native New Yorker and a 1985 graduate of Yale University, Jordan now lives in
San Francisco.
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About the Music
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The Music for PRINCE of PERSIA uses a "leitmotiv" approach in which each
theme is associated with a specific character or idea. The basic themes are:
Prince, Princess, Jaffar, Danger, Sword, Shadow, Death, Time, and Magic.
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Krack Notes from The Ramsacker
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Due to "Prince of Persia" being an 18 sector ware, a 3rd disk was necessary to
accomodate the extra two sectors on each track. An 18 sector ware is not
actually 18 DOS 3.3 sectors, but rather the equivalent of 18 sectors of data
written in a unique format. It does not use standard DOS 3.3 address and data
marks, and uses a totally rewritten DOS altogether to allow more data to be
squeezed onto each track.
On the 3rd disk, the area of the disk being used for extra sector storage is:
Track $1A, Sectors $B-$0 thru Track $22. The rest of the disk can be used for
DOS 3.3 file storage as it contains a catalog on track $11. It does not have a
bootable DOS although E-Z VIEW is installed on track $00 for textfile viewing.
The original release of the third disk contains the Prince of Persia dox, E-Z
VIEW dox, and "Karateka Music and Sound Effects" (just for the hell of it).
Apon boot-up, you should have the 3rd disk in drive 2 as the program begins
accessing the second drive immediately after the krack page. It was not
possible to fit the extra sectors onto just one disk, nor was it possible to
pre-load the extra sectors into RAM because the game uses every inch of memory,
main and auxiliary (which is the reason the game run so smoothly).
Secret Keys
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While searching through memory in my kracking quest, I came across some
strange code that turned out to be a check for a series of keys. I discovered
that if you hold down both Apple keys (or Apple and Option on the //gs) and
press one of the following keys during boot-up, you will get a keen treat.
Here is a summary of what each secret key does (I won't tell you exactly what
they do so that it will be as much a pleasant surprise for you as it was for
me).
(Remember to hold down both Apple keys for each key)
DELETE - Press the arrow keys (works only on the //gs)
RETURN - Neat-o
! - Message from authors (press any key after this one for something else)
@ - Pretty cool
^ - Move your joystick around for this one
Also, use a sector editor to view Track $00, Sector $F for a quaint message.
Them folks at Broderbund sure know how to please. Get ready for one kick-ass
game.
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